2017 Yule Ball

The first annual 2017 Yule Ball was held on December 9th, 2017, a night that will long live on for those of us who planned, prepared, and attended it. Words like magical and enchanted don’t even come close to describing it. When we first conceived of the idea in the spring, we weren’t sure we could pull it off, or that we’d find enough people who wanted to come. Fast forward a few months, and the IndieGoGo campaign broke through its goal in the first 24 hours, and the entire Ball was sold out by September.

Everyone showed up in their wizarding best, from formal wear, to wizard robes, to costumes that spanned the gap from creative to slightly terrifying. Candles floated. We ate and drank and drank some more. (The bars were warned, but still ran out of butterbeer…twice.) Cupcakes were devoured. DJ Switch kept us dancing, and we rocked out with Kirby Krackle. We gave away an array of raffle prize packages to please almost every kind of fan, from haircuts to the TriWizard Trophy. (Not a portkey, I’m relieved to report.)

And we did it all for a good cause. After the final budgeting was done, the PDX HPA was able to donate $3000 to EACH of our charity partners, Chick!Tech and Girls Build. (Our donation to Girls Build will be going toward scholarships for eight girls!) We also made contact with the wider Harry Potter fan community in Portland and gain lots of new members to help us when we start planning the 2018 Yule Ball!

Thank you to everyone who helped along the way, be it in the planning, boosting the signal, volunteering on the night of, or even just attending. You all helped make the first Yule Ball possible, and spectacular.